When Jack was captured, Kaido received the news and immediately sent people to rescue him. Queen had been there at the time. If he had known it would lead to this outcome, he never would have volunteered for the mission.
"Wait... Vice Captain," Gritting his teeth to endure the pain of losing his arm, Queen said in a deep voice, "Think about it. You were the ones who attacked and captured him first! I only went to rescue my comrade. I didn't hurt anyone during the process."
This was the truth. Although he had rescued Jack, he hadn't killed anyone. At most, he had beaten up some of Doflamingo's top executives.
But those were people from the Donquixote Pirates, not Phantom!
Vladimir couldn't be bothered to argue. "Enonsense. Rescuing someone without our permission is an act of provocation. Do you understand just how serious that is?"
Provocation my ass! If I really wanted to provoke you, I wouldn't have just rescued him—I would have killed everyone!!
Queen was furious. He finally understood exactly how Kaido must have felt back then.
When Kaido had interfered in the Whole Cake Island incident, he had been pressured in exactly the same way by the Archangel.
However, he could only suppress his anger and said, "We really... we don't have any extra Devil Fruits to give you."
Vladimir stared at him. Under the pressure of his Spiritual Pressure, every word and emotion was laid bare.
He didn't seem to be lying, but he was clearly defiant.
Vladimir didn't care about his attitude; the problem was the lack of fruits. Thinking this, Vladimir asked, "You said earlier that Kaido took his men to find Devil Fruits? It's for the blueprints at the auction, isn't it?"
"Yes..." Queen breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Vladimir didn't seem intent on attacking further. "The allure of an Ancient Weapon is enough to drive any force in the world crazy."
"Where did he go to look for fruits?" Vladimir asked again.
This was the crucial point. To win the blueprints at the auction, Kaido wouldn't just need one or two fruits—he would need dozens, maybe even more than a hundred.
With forces from all over the world competing and forming alliances, the number of fruits displayed would be staggering.
Ordinary methods wouldn't be enough, which was why Vladimir was curious.
Hearing this, Queen fell silent, seemingly reluctant to answer.
Vladimir immediately increased the pressure, his massive Spiritual Pressure crushing down upon him.
"I'll talk! Don't do anything rash..." Queen's face changed. He forced himself to speak, "I don't know if you've ever heard of... the 'Ten Great Families'?"
"The Ten Great Families?" Vladimir frowned slightly.
"Maybe you haven't heard the name, but you've definitely encountered some of them."
Queen chose his words carefully, trying to reveal as little information as possible. "For example, ranked seventh is the Donquixote Family. They operate in both legal and underground worlds, control vast intelligence networks and arms trades, and indirectly influence dozens of countries!"
Vladimir was slightly surprised. "The Donquixote Family is only ranked seventh? Who are the ones above them?"
"Above them..." Queen hesitated, but seeing Vladimir frown again, he quickly continued, "For example, ranked fifth is the Vinsmoke Family from the North Blue! They are the most feared family there, a headache even for the Marines and World Government. They can even influence Marine decisions. Not only that, they are also known as 'Germa 66' or the 'House of War', a legendary army of evil!"
The Vinsmokes, a renowned family from the North Blue. Vladimir knew them well; they were famously known as the "Killer Family".
Furthermore, he knew that the third son of the family head, Vinsmoke Sanji, was currently missing. He was likely rescued by a pirate and would eventually become a cook.
"What about the others?" Vladimir continued.
"Others... Ranked fourth is the Charlotte Family. Ranked second is the White Family, also known as the Whitebeard Pirates."
Queen explained, "The reason Shanks' crew and our Beasts Pirates aren't listed is because we are just pirate crews, not considered 'families' in this context."
"Who is ranked first?" Vladimir asked, curious, though he already had a guess in his mind.
"Ranked first is... the 'D. Clan'! The family known as 'God's Natural Enemies'!" Queen shook his head. "However, nowadays, members of the D. Clan are rare and scattered, so they don't really function as a family unit. But every single person bearing the initial 'D.' is incredibly troublesome."
There was Jaguar D. Saul, a Marine Vice Admiral, though he was now deceased.
There was Monkey D. Garp, the Marine Hero, who in his prime was powerful enough to corner Roger.
Then there was Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army.
In the Whitebeard Pirates, there was a hidden ambitious man named Marshall D. Teach.
And of course, the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—though the Marines tried to hide his name, altering it to "Gold Roger".
Even Roger's wife was of the D. Clan, Portgas D. Rouge, who was also deceased.
Of course, the D. Clan consisted of many more, hidden all over the world.
"I see... The D. Clan, huh?" Vladimir nodded in understanding, showing no surprise.
Queen continued, "This time, Captain Kaido went to find Devil Fruits, but actually, he went to contact one of the Ten Great Families—the 'Pikeness Family'. This family rules over a powerful kingdom in the New World. They are royalty, and their country is one that even the Four Emperors would hesitate to invade."
The Pikeness Family was ranked sixth, placing them even above the Donquixote Family.
Of course, this ranking was based on influence and power, not necessarily meaning they were stronger in combat than the Donquixote Pirates.
There was once an incident where a Celestial Dragon visited their country. Feeling disrespected, the Dragon threatened to annihilate them. But after returning to Mary Geoise, he found himself completely powerless to act against them, and the matter was eventually dropped.
Hearing this, Vladimir grew even more curious. "So, does this Pikeness Family possess a large number of Devil Fruits?"
"Not sure about that..." Queen quickly said, "But they do have a special army consisting entirely of Devil Fruit users. There are about ten of them, serving as the Royal Guard. Our Beasts Pirates have maintained some contact with them, and this time we wanted to form an alliance with them."
How they planned to ally didn't need explaining; Vladimir could easily guess.
Their target was undoubtedly Pluton's blueprints. Kaido would provide military might, while they would provide the Devil Fruits or resources.
"Hahaha..."
Vladimir chuckled lightly. "Go ahead and collect those fruits. The auction will be decided solely by who has the most. If you want the blueprints, you'd better try harder."
Saying this, he looked at the Shadow Fiend.
Understanding the gesture, the Shadow Fiend waved its hand, tearing open the space itself.
The two stepped inside one after another. Just before the rift closed, Vladimir glanced back at Queen.
"Watch yourselves carefully. If you cross us again... the Big Mom Pirates will be your fate!"
Pop!
The spatial crack sealed shut like the mouth of a monster, vanishing instantly.
Queen realized in terror that he was soaked completely in cold sweat.
"Phew... Truly terrifying. So this is the power of a Vice Captain... Then just what kind of existence is Emperor Vladimir, to be able to control monsters like him?!"
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